The Daily Audio Bible
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Return to Me, Declares Yahweh
1 In the eighth month of the second year of (A)Darius, the word of [a]Yahweh came to (B)Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of (C)Iddo, saying, 2 “Yahweh was very (D)wrathful against your fathers. 3 Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “(E)Return to Me,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “that I may return to you,” says Yahweh of hosts. 4 “Do not be (F)like your fathers, to whom the (G)former prophets called out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “(H)Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds.”’ But they did (I)not listen or give heed to Me,” declares Yahweh. 5 “Your (J)fathers, where are they? And the (K)prophets, do they live forever? 6 But did not My words and My statutes, which I commanded My slaves the prophets, (L)overtake your fathers? Then they [b]returned and said, ‘(M)As Yahweh of hosts purposed to do to us in accordance with our ways and our deeds, so He has done with us.’”’”
A Man on a Red Horse
7 On the twenty-fourth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Shebat, in the second year of Darius, the word of Yahweh came to Zechariah the prophet, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo, saying, 8 I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a (N)red horse, and he was standing among the (O)myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and (P)white horses behind him. 9 Then I said, “My (Q)lord, what are these?” And the (R)angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.” 10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, “These are those whom Yahweh has sent to [c](S)patrol the earth.” 11 So they answered the angel of Yahweh who was (T)standing among the myrtle trees and said, “We have [d]patrolled the earth, and behold, (U)all the earth is sitting still and quiet.”
12 Then the angel of Yahweh answered and said, “O Yahweh of hosts, (V)how long will You (W)have no compassion for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, with which You have been (X)indignant these (Y)seventy years?” 13 Yahweh answered the (Z)angel who was speaking with me with good words, (AA)comforting words. 14 So the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “(AB)Call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “I am (AC)exceedingly jealous for Jerusalem and Zion. 15 But I am very (AD)wrathful with the nations who are (AE)at ease; for I was only a little wrathful, but they (AF)helped increase the calamity.” 16 Therefore thus says Yahweh, “I will (AG)return to Jerusalem with compassion; My (AH)house will be built in it,” declares Yahweh of hosts, “and a measuring (AI)line will be stretched over Jerusalem.”’ 17 Again, call out, saying, ‘Thus says Yahweh of hosts, “My (AJ)cities will again overflow with good, and Yahweh will again (AK)comfort Zion and again (AL)choose Jerusalem.”’”
Four Horns and Craftsmen
18 [e]Then I lifted up my eyes and saw, and behold, there were four horns. 19 So I said to the angel who was speaking with me, “What are these?” And he said to me, “These are the (AM)horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.” 20 Then Yahweh showed me four (AN)craftsmen. 21 And I said, “What are these coming to do?” And he said, “These are the (AO)horns which have scattered Judah so that no man lifts up his head; but these craftsmen have come to cause them to tremble, to (AP)throw down the horns of the nations who have lifted up their horns against the land of Judah in order to scatter it.”
The Woman, the Child, and the Dragon
12 And a great (A)sign appeared (B)in heaven: (C)a woman (D)clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 And she was with child, and she *(E)cried out, being in labor and in pain to give birth. 3 Then (F)another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red (G)dragon having (H)seven heads and (I)ten horns, and on his heads were (J)seven diadems. 4 And his tail *swept away a (K)third of the stars of heaven and (L)threw them to the earth. And the (M)dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth (N)he might devour her child. 5 And (O)she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is to [a](P)rule all the [b]nations with a rod of iron; and her child was (Q)caught up to God and to His throne. 6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she *had a place prepared by God, so that there [c]she would be nourished for (R)1,260 days.
War in Heaven
7 And there was war in heaven, (S)Michael and his angels waging war with the (T)dragon. The dragon and (U)his angels waged war, 8 and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. 9 And the great (V)dragon was thrown down, the (W)serpent of old who is called the devil and (X)Satan, who (Y)deceives the whole [d]world. He was (Z)thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 Then I heard (AA)a loud voice in heaven, saying,
“Now the (AB)salvation, and the power, and the (AC)kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the (AD)accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they (AE)overcame him because of (AF)the blood of the Lamb and because of (AG)the word of their witness, and they (AH)did not love their life even to death. 12 For this reason, (AI)rejoice, O heavens and (AJ)you who [e]dwell in them. (AK)Woe to the earth and the sea, because (AL)the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only (AM)a short time.”
13 And when the (AN)dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted (AO)the woman who gave birth to the male child. 14 But the (AP)two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly (AQ)into the wilderness to her place, where she *was nourished for (AR)a time and times and half a time, from the [f]presence of the serpent. 15 And the (AS)serpent [g]poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might cause her to be swept away with the flood. 16 [h]But the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and drank up the river which the dragon [i]poured out of his mouth. 17 So the dragon was enraged with the woman and went off to (AT)make war with the rest of her (AU)seed, who (AV)keep the commandments of God and (AW)have the witness of Jesus.
Rescue Me, O Yahweh, from Evil Men
For the choir director. A Psalm of David.
140 (A)Rescue me, O Yahweh, from evil men;
Guard me from (B)violent men
2 Who (C)think up evil things in their hearts;
They (D)continually stir up wars.
3 They (E)sharpen their tongues as a serpent;
(F)Poison of an asp is under their lips. [a]Selah.
4 (G)Keep me, O Yahweh, from the hands of the wicked;
(H)Guard me from violent men
Who [b]give thought to [c](I)trip up my steps.
5 The proud have (J)hidden a trap for me, and cords;
They have spread a (K)net by the [d]wayside;
They have set (L)snares for me. Selah.
6 I (M)said to Yahweh, “You are my God;
(N)Give ear, O Yahweh, to the (O)voice of my supplications.
7 O Yahweh, O Lord, (P)the strength of my salvation,
You have (Q)covered my head in the day of [e]battle.
8 Do not grant, O Yahweh, the (R)desires of the wicked;
Do not promote (S)his evil [f]scheme, that they not be exalted. Selah.
9 “As for the head of those who surround me,
May the (T)trouble from their lips cover them.
10 May (U)burning coals be shaken out upon them;
May He (V)cause them to fall into the fire,
Into [g]bottomless pits from which they (W)can never rise.
11 May a [h]slanderer not be established in the earth;
(X)May evil hunt the violent man [i]speedily.”
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